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Chapter 8 - Divergent Paths (TCOK)
Although Tubba had only been in the basement of the Castle for twenty minutes, he immediately noticed a change in the mood from when he had descended the stairs of the basement in his stupor. While the Clubba Castle was normally very relaxed and easygoing, the tension now prevalent in the atmosphere of the Castle was bewildering. Surely nothing had disrupted the Kingdom in a mere twenty minutes? Raising a questioning large red hand at a generic Clubban guard striding down the halls, the guard pointed in the direction of the foyer, before grunting, “throne room, his Majesty wants you.” Tubba thanked the guard, before heading off to the throne room. The throne room was accessed through the foyer, directly across from the large front doors. Tubba immediately set off for the throne room, reaching the foyer in record time, before pushing aside the heavy door into the throne room. The throne room had a high, arching ceiling, with the tapestries around depicting famous events in Clubban history - Cloansar’s initial rise to power was depicted the most often, but events such as Karubba’s military victories were also displayed prominently on the tapestries around. On the red carpet running down the centre of the room was the blue and gold gilded throne, which was currently being occupied by Tubba’s father. Standing in front of his father, holding a map, was his advisor and Commander of the Armies, Clubbar, gesticulating wildly at a certain location on the map. “Hi, Tubba.” His father waved at him, causing Clubbar to pause. Tubba lumbered over to his father, before looking down at the map. It was a world map, complete with the Zaz islands off to the very far west, which was a rarity for Mushroom Mainland maps. “You’re probably wondering what we’re doing, right, son?” Tubba nodded at his father, who beckoned him over to the map. “Tensions have risen to a breaking point between us and the Zaz Kingdom.” He pointed at the vast collection of islands to the far west of the flat world map, with neatly printed words indicating: “ZAZ KINGDOM.” Tubba nodded again, acknowledging the conflict that had been going on for a few years. Clubbas had never been able to take root in the Zaz Kingdom, even in the days of Cloansar, for it was always the farthest point away from the Mushroom Mainland where the Clubbas held their home. Although it was technically under the control of Cloansar, it was never part of the Clubba Empire as the closer regions, for reasons that were self-explanatory. Due to this inability to take root in the Zaz Kingdom, when Zazau came to power, Clubbas were scorned as species who had tried to bite more than they could chew and had interfered with the natural workings of the Iglators, the species of the Zaz Kingdom. Iglators were evolutionary ancestors of the superior Koopas which were the ruling house of the Koopa Kingdom - Bowser and his children were Firebreath Koopas, a type of superior Koopa. Iglators were distinctly different from Firebreath Koopas, with longer arms and thinner legs, as the Firebreath Koopas and Superior Koopas were closer to Clubbas than they were to Iglators. Still, over the millenia, Clubbas, while never truly respected as full members of Zaz Kingdom society, were able to make a good life over in the Zaz Kingdom. The tensions between the Clubba Kingdom and the Zaz Kingdom was always high, for historical scars faded quite slowly. However, this peace filled with tension that had lasted hundreds and thousands of years came to an abrupt end with the ascension of the ruler, Hareth Zazau, to the throne. Zazau had a bone to pick with the Clubbas, and rounded up many of them for imprisonment for the crime of being a Clubba. Although the Clubba Kingdom attempted to negotiate from their isolated position on the other half of the world, Hareth had full control over what he wanted to do. Until present day, the relations with the Zaz Kingdom was steadily degrading and reaching a breaking point, with the Clubbas being wary of starting a full-blown conflict. But judging by Tubba’s father’s choice of words, Tubba knew that the conflict had begun. “We’ve declared war on the Zaz Kingdom.” Tubba Sr. confirmed. “We’ve had enough with their profligate disregard for Clubbas in the Zaz Kingdom, arresting them for merely being Clubbas, and as the primary Clubban entity, it’s our duty to put a stop to it and let them thrive in the Zaz Kingdom. We’ve pleaded and pleaded with Zazau to listen to reason and stop this persecution, but he refuses to do so. We have to go in and stop it.” Tubba’s heart leapt with elation. If there ever was a place to prove himself to his father, it was the battlefield. Clubbas had long romanticized the battlefield, being a naturally aggressive species, and Clubbas who held their own on the battlefield, putting their lives on the line for the King and the Kingdom, returned as heroes. “Count me in.” He informed his father, giving a fist pump. Shaking his head, Tubba’s father held a hand up to stop Tubba’s celebrations. “You’re way too inexperienced, you’re not an adult yet. I am not throwing my inexperienced son into the very first war I am fighting as King, and the first war the Clubba Kingdom has fought since my father died on the battlefield in 1982.” “What?!” Tubba exclaimed in disbelief. “You fought in one of your father’s wars at thirteen! You’ve told me! What’s this double standard, Dad?” He could scarcely believe that his father did not have faith in him to defend the Kingdom and Clubbas, what would be expected of him in the coming years, as he intended to ascend the throne. His father exhaled deeply out of the tiny nostrils on his blue face - a sign, Tubba had long realized, that he was trying to keep his temper - before responding. “And it was one of the worst decisions my father ever made. It is my duty to you to ensure that you do not get thrown into such traumatic situations.” “Traumatic? Traumatic?!” Tubba snarled, feeling his rage power through him. “What in Cloansar does that mean? Do you imply that I’m not fit enough to fight? If that’s it, just say it, Dad.” He challenged his father, ignoring the disapproving Clubbar just beyond his father shaking his head. Slamming a fist on the desk, Tubba Sr. then rose to his full height, dwarfing his smaller son. “I have a job for you, Tubba, a much more important one than joining the fight against the Zaz Kingdom.” Tubba glared his father down, making him wait before he finally responded. “Well, I’m waiting.” Tubba shot back snarkily at his father, who glanced at Clubbar before responding. Clubbar nodded at his King, who then turned back to his son, his expression unreadable. “I need you to go to Goomba Village. Our espionage files have told us that an Iglator by the name of Uarn used to live there, and may still. Uarn was a rarity, washing ashore the Mushroom Mainland in the summer of 1989.” Tubba Sr. explained, crossing his arms and looking down at his son with a calculating look as he told the story. Tubba listened intently - he had never seen an Iglator in his life, not even pictures. That an Iglator had washed up on Mushroom Mainland shores would have been big news, and for it to be suppressed, it would have to be a global effort. Tubba voiced this concern to his father: “An Iglator coming over to the Mushroom Mainland would have been huge news. How come I have never heard of it?” His father glanced at Clubbar again, irritating Tubba. His father was a grown Clubba, he didn’t need the assistance of the Commander of the Armies to talk to his own son. Clubbar didn’t even have children, having served the Clubba Kingdom and no one else since his appointment in 1962. Tubba’s father finally responded: “It was an effort to prevent the Zaz Kingdom from walking in. Uarn was guilty of crimes - mainly thievery - there, but the espionage value of having an Iglator in the Mushroom Mainland was too tempting for us to just send him back to the Zaz Kingdom.” “So,” Tubba leapt to the conclusion he knew his father would eventually get to. “You want me to head over to Goomba Village to see if Uarn is still there, and bring him back if he is, for help in the battle against the Zaz Kingdom. If he’s not, you want me to glean as much information from the locals as possible?” Tubba Sr. nodded, “Yes, that’s half of what I want you to do, and I think the time has come to tell Gonzales the truth about your birthright - take him with you, show him the coin.” Giving his father a thumbs up, Tubba was satisfied with this job. If the time had come to tell Gonzales about his heirship to the throne, he would have no complaints. Espionage was a careful art, much more important than the actual warfare to winning a war. However, his father was unfinished. Once again casting an infuriating glance at Clubbar, Tubba Sr. continued: “The other half is getting that Clubbith boy tomorrow morning, before you set out. I have heard from countless sources that he is one of the strongest Clubbas of the under twenty age group, and being a year past adulthood at fifteen, I feel now would be an optimal time for him to enroll in the military and fight alongside us in the Zaz Kingdom.” Tubba stood stock-still as he processed what his father had just told him. “Hold on, you want me to get Bubba Clubbith to fight alongside you, while I can’t?” Tubba spoke slowly, making sure to convey his fury to his father. “''Bubba Clubbith?'' Excuse me, Dad, that’s rid-” Holding up a hand to stop Tubba from speaking again, Tubba Sr. narrowed his eyes in displeasure. “I know you despise the Clubbith boy, but facts don’t lie. There are no places for grudges if you are truly to be my heir. Get him tomorrow morning.” “But-” “No buts!” Tubba Sr’s eyes flared with fury. “Consider this your test. If you can succeed in this mission for me, without screwing up and letting your temper get the better of you, your major stumbling block, I will consider that proof that you are my proper heir, a better heir than Chubba.” “And if you fail me- I have to make decisions for the betterment of the Kingdom, not for my children.”